Tuesday, March 31, 2009

On November 11, 1985, Governor Bob Graham dedicated Florida's Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The memorial is located across Monroe Street from the old Capitol in Tallahassee. The memorial consists of two granite columns with the American flag suspended between them. On the columns are engraved the names of 1,942 Vietnam War dead and 83 men listed as missing in action.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Adams Street is one of the main streets running north/south through downtown Tallahassee. Years ago a portion of the street next to the Florida Capitol complex was developed into an area known as the Adams Street Commons. There are numerous restaurants and shops located on the winding street and special events such as street dances and festivals are held here. This is what the Adams Street Commons looks like during a busy lunch hour while the Florida Legislature is in session. The tall building is the north side of the new Florida Capitol and the domed building in front of it is the Florida House of Representatives building. There is an identical dome on the other side of the Capitol for the Florida Senate.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

The Florida Legislature is in session right now and the Tallahassee City Hall sits right next to the Capitol complex downtown. This is the sign over the main entrance welcoming lawmakers to town for the session.

Here is another view of the old Florida Capitol from a different angle. You can see the dome on the top through the tree. You can also barely see the newer 20 story modern Capitol building peeking over the old one in the upper left corner of the picture. The red and white awnings on the windows have generated much debate over the years. Some people like them and some people hate them. I didn't like them at all at first, but now I think I am just used to them. What do you think?

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

My hummingbird is still doing well! He's standing up on his feet now and drinking sugar water from a feeder in his cage. They are also feeding him ground up mealworms. He has some crusting around his eyes, so he is getting some ointment on them and he is still on a heating pad. They said when you talk to him, he flutters his wings. If he continues to do well, he might be coming back to my backyard one day. I hope so! Thanks to St. Francis Wildlife Association for their loving care of this little creature!

The flowers are blooming on the lawn of the historic old Florida Capitol building in downtown Tallahassee.

A note about the awnings: The historic Old Florida Capitol building has been restored to it's 1902 appearance and is individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Apparently wide-striped red and white operable awnings can be seen in postcards as early as 1902. When rehabilitation plans were drawn up for the building, the initial intention was not to duplicate the awnings. Energy studies, however, showed that significant cost savings could be achieved by installing the awnings and today the building stands with this highly colorful feature added. I will be showing a close-up of the awnings tomorrow!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

I just got off the phone with St. Francis Wildlife and they said my little hummingbird is doing well this morning! They fed him all night and he is still eating this morning. They are also keeping him warm. He is bobbing his head kind of funny though, so they think he might have some neurological damage and probably crashed into the window. They are giving him a 50/50 chance of surviving, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the little fellow!

I found this little Ruby-throated Hummingbird flopping around near my backdoor Sunday night. He let me pick him up and I put him on my hummingbird feeder where he proceeded to dip his little beak into one of the holes and take a drink! He sat there for the longest time drinking sugar water and then I made the mistake of touching him again and he flew down into some tall grass and leaves in my backyard. It was getting dark and I couldn't find him. I worried about him all night and had to go to work too early the next morning to look for him. When I got home in the afternoon, I went back out there and when I started carefully walking around, I heard a rustling in some leaves. I followed the sound and there he was still alive under a leaf! I picked him up again and put him on my feeder and again he started drinking the sugar water. I brought both him and the feeder in the house while I called the local wildlife rescue association here and they told me to bring him in. I rushed him up there in my car and by the time I got there he looked a lot better! He was moving around and his eyes were blinking. They immediately took him back into an exam room and starting hydrating him. I had to leave, but they said I could call and check on him. I hope he's OK! I took this picture of him with my iPhone, so it's not as clear as it could be.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Here is my grandson admiring a Batmobile used in the 1992 movie "Batman Returns" at the Tallahassee Antique Car Museum. It's the one on the left side of the picture. The one on the right is another Batmobile, but I'm not sure when it was used. They also have a Batmobile from the 1995 movie "Batman Forever". This is a fun place to visit. In addition to all the really cool cars, they also have motorcycles, antique pianos, and other collectibles. For more information about this museum, click here.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

The speed limit sign in the parking garage where I work. This garage is mostly used by college students and I'm sure they don't even look at these signs because they drive so fast in there, you can hear their tires squealing. Fortunately, the bottom floor is reserved for faculty and staff, so we don't have to worry about getting run over.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

This stately old southern home on College Avenue near downtown Tallahassee is being renovated. I could not find out any history on this house. I have always liked the columns on the front. That brand new high rise condo building behind it provides quite a contrast. I prefer the old house myself. When they are finished with the renovation, I will try to post another picture.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

I am the proud recipient of the Butterfly Award from Cheryl over at NOSTALGIA: Today and Yesterday! Please visit her blog and enjoy her beautiful photos. Thanks Cheryl! I'm supposed to pass this award on, but I am still trying to decide, so I will do that in another post.

The 6 story Exchange Bank Building was built in 1927 and was the first modern private office building in Tallahassee. It is one of the few downtown buildings to have maintained its architectural integrity. It is constructed of buff brick with limestone trim and terra-cotta wall ornamentation in a Neo-Egyptian and Greek design.

You will probably have to click on this picture and enlarge it so you can see that robin up there in that oak tree. I took this picture in my back yard the other day and since then I have had robins hopping around my yard every day. I like this picture of the first robin I saw though, so I'm posting it. I also like the way the late afternoon sun was shining through the trees. Now that the robins are here, it really does feel like spring!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Here is a final view of the Werkmeister Humanities Reading Room in Dodd Hall on the FSU campus. On the day I took this picture, the room was set up for a small lecture. Usually the tables and chairs are arranged so that visitors can pick out a book and then sit down and quietly read or just enjoy the room.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

These banners hanging in the Werkmeister Humanities Reading Room in Dodd Hall on the FSU campus are carried by representatives of the different colleges and schools during the processional at graduation ceremonies which are held at the end of each semester during the academic year. The students who are graduating during the ceremony walk behind their respective banner wearing their caps and gowns. I have been to two of these graduation ceremonies in the past few years, one for my daughter, who graduated from the College of Music and one for my son, who graduated from the College of Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance. I was one proud Mama! I am happy to say that both of my kids are doing well in their chosen fields. My daughter is the band director at her old high school and my son is a graphic designer for the State of Florida.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

The image on the left of this stained glass window honors Doak S. Campbell, who was the President of Florida State University from 1941-1957. The image on the right honors the Seminole Tribe of Florida. This window is also located in the Werkmeister Humanities Reading Room in Dodd Hall on the FSU campus.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

My first Theme Day post is a picture of the stained glass window in the Werkmeister Humanities Reading Room located in Dodd Hall on the campus of Florida State University. The window features images of various buildings on the FSU campus, a fountain, a palm tree and a blossoming dogwood tree limb in the foreground. The window is the work of artists Bob and Jo Ann Bischoff who are both FSU graduates. The stained glass window is 23 feet tall and 10 feet wide. It has 22 panels with 10,000 individual pieces of glass. This spectacular window was unveiled and dedicated on October 31, 1997. There are other stained glass windows in this beautiful room and I will show you pictures of those in future posts.